Halo 4 will definitely be one of the biggest games of the year, so it really isn't much of a surprise that some Xbox 360 owners are eager to download a pirated version of the game that popped up on torrent sites over the weekend. Microsoft isn't taking this leak lightly though, as MCV reports that the company is handing out permanent Xbox Live bans to anyone caught playing the game with their console connected to the Internet. In other words, you might want to think twice before taking advantage of those Halo 4 torrents.

A new Halo 4 trailer has launched, and this time around it's all about the weapons, baby. With a dubstep song serving as our backing track, we're introduced to weapons new and old, and get a chance to see how each one functions in Halo 4. Microsoft has also released a second version of the trailer that ditches the music so it's nothing but you and the gunfire, so if you hate dubstep, you're in luck.

It appears that users hoping to play the Halo 4 multiplayer mode in the near future will perhaps be needing to clear out some space from their system first, as "at least an 8GB USB flash drive or an Xbox 360 Hard Drive" will be required to take action. This word comes from Xbox's official feed in which they also say they "highly reccommend" the hard drive option for those seeking out a fully "optimal" experience. Good games and good graphics don't come cheap!

This week the E3 Microsoft keynote has revealed more than just a little bit of information on the most widely anticipated shooter of 2012: Halo 4. This game is now set for November 6th, 2012, and will be developed by Microsoft-owned 343 Industries instead of Bungie Studios. Microsoft showed off a brand new full trailer for the game and made sure the audience understood that this will indeed be the biggest game out since Halo 3.

Looking at the rest of the year, we can expect some blockbuster video games to hit store shelves. Activision is once again launching a Call of Duty game -- Black Ops 2 -- and despite my issues with it, Madden NFL from Electronic Arts will undoubtedly be a sales juggernaut towards the end of the summer.

But it’s November that has caught my eye the most. Early on that month, Halo 4 will hit store shelves. Only this time, the game won’t come from the fine folks at Bungie Studios that made the Halo name in the first place. This time around, Halo will be coming from 343 Industries, a part of Microsoft.

Wondering what you’ll be able to pick up when Halo 4 is released on November 6th? Wonder no more. The official Halo website has detailed the Limited Edition of the game, available for pre-order starting from today. It might set you back a cool $99.99, but hopefully the features will be enough to entice you. The Limited Edition will offer multiplayer map packs, specializations, and bonus digital content.

The latest entry in the series of books that brings the Halo video game franchise into the world of novelization will be called Halo: The Thursday War. And in case you were wondering, yes, it will tie in directly with the story of Halo 4, as Microsoft continues to build what will surely be one of the biggest cross-product marketing efforts it has ever launched for a video game. There is already an online Web show that will help generate buzz for the game as well.

Microsoft may have bungled the opportunity it had to turn Halo into a multi million-dollar theatrical movie success, but the highly successful Xbox shooter franchise will be getting transformed into a live-action masterpiece nevertheless. Microsoft will be debuting a Web-based TV series in the hopes of achieving two goals - strike up as much publicity for Halo 4 as possible, and wrangle in new fans who haven't necessarily played a Halo game yet.

Hey, remember how back in the day, when Halo was this brand new phenomenon and everyone was talking about it being turned into a big-screen blockbuster? Remember how every studio was bidding for their shot at it? Remember how iconic director Peter Jackson was even said to be the guy who would likely be tapped to head up the ambitious project? You ever look back and wonder, "What the heck happened with that?"